Illinois Review

Memorial Day 2021

 

May your day be filled with peace as we remember and honor those

who made the ultimate sacrifice.

 

Wirepoints: Illinois lawmakers want to cement union powers into the state constitution

UPDATE: This measure passed the Illinois House Wednesday night (May 26) and will be on the 2022 General Election ballot. More to come later on this ... 

Wirepoints.com shared this earlier this week - view it on their website HERE with very interesting graphics - 

State lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are preparing to enshrine the extensive power of Illinois unions into the state constitution.

The Illinois Senate has passed, and the House is preparing to vote on, a resolution for a constitutional amendment creating a new “fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively” for matters that include workers' “economic welfare.” The resolution further prohibits the state and local governments from passing any law that “interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively.”

The recent Senate vote was bipartisan, with 11 of the Senate’s 18 Republicans voting for the resolution. No Senate Democrats opposed the measure.

Thorner: The Big Lie

Commentary by Nancy Thorner - 

Washington Post columnist George Will made his return to ABC’s This Week on Sunday, May 23, 2021, where he suggested that the January 6 Capitol riot was an equal “shock to the system” as 9/11, a coordinated terror attack that killed 3,000 people. 

Mr. Will's comparison is something you might have heard on MSNBC or CNN. In fact, a lot of lefties have already made this point. 

House votes for Jan. 6^th Commission

The House on Wednesday evening, May 19, 2021, voted to create an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, but the bill's fate in the Senate appears imperiled with top Republican leaders opposed to a deal crafted by negotiators in both parties.

 

In a 252-175 vote, lawmakers advanced a bill that would empower a panel with subpoena power to study the riots, what led up to them and how to prevent further attacks. Most Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, opposed the legislation, but 35 voted with Democrats to establish such a commission.

With SJRCA 11, Illinois would solidly be an economically-failing state

As of 2021, 28 states protect their residents freedom to work - opening the way for free enterprise, business growth and state prosperity by not requiring them to be union members as Illinois could be if SJRCA 11 is amended to the Illinois state constitution.

Those states that allow their residents the freedom to choose whether or not they want to be union members are:

Napolitano: The Government’s Emergency Powers Myth

By Judge Andrew Napolitano - 

“The Constitution of the United States is a law for rulers and people, equally in war and in peace, and covers with the shield of its protection all classes of men, at all times and under all circumstances. No doctrine involving more pernicious consequences was ever invented by the wit of man than that any of its provisions can be suspended during any of the great exigencies of government.” — Ex Parte Milligan, Supreme Court of the United States, 1866.

Last week, the media in New Jersey began to ask Gov. Phil Murphy when he would surrender his emergency powers. He claimed emergency powers in March 2020, and he also claimed that those powers are not limited by the Constitution when he said on Fox that the Bill of Rights is above his pay grade. His reply to the media inquiries was that he will surrender them when he surrenders them!

I am using the example of Murphy in order to address the concept of emergency powers, but there is no hyperbole here. Murphy quite literally issued executive orders barring folks from doing what the Constitution guarantees them the right to do, and he imposed criminal penalties for violating his orders, and he had folks who defied him arrested and prosecuted. Stated differently, he assumed the powers of the state legislature — which is to write the laws — and he violated his oath to uphold the Constitution.

More HERE

The Child Soldiers of Portland

Public schools are training children to become race-conscious revolutionaries. Christopher Rufo writes:

There are only a few places on earth where radicals and their children ritualistically burn the American flag and chant “Death to America”: Tehran, Baghdad, Beirut, Kabul, Ramallah—and Portland, Oregon.

The City of Portland, a cloud-covered metro on the south bank of the Columbia River, has become known for its political protesters. Anarchists, Communists, ecofascists, and various other agitators regularly denounce the police, politicians of both parties, and America itself, and flag-burning has become part of the protesters’ liturgy. Last summer, protesters associated with Antifa upped the ante with chants of “Death to America” and participated in months of violent protests to avenge the death of George Floyd while he was in police custody in Minneapolis. Children as young as four marched with the crowd to the federal courthouse, raising the Black Power fist and chanting “F--k the Police!”

Whither Meritocracy? University of California Scraps the SAT

Photo: Ridofranz/Getty Images

The ability to do academic work should determine who gets into college, not race, national origin, sex, or any other immutable characteristic. Mike Gonzalez and Lindsey Burke write:

“Don’t lie to yourself about how much effort you’re putting in,” says Amisha, a student from New Jersey who scored a 1540 on her SAT, adding: “If you’re putting in minimal effort and telling yourself that it’ll be enough—chances are it very well won’t be.”

“Visualize yourself attending your dream college whenever you feel demoralized,” advises Rushil, an Abu Dhabi student who scored a 1570 on the SAT out of a possible 1600 after prepping for nearly 75 hours.

Black pastors call for action to stop repeal of parental notification

CHICAGO - Parents will once again not be notified by medical personnel if their minor daughters seek abortions if the Illinois General Assembly votes to repeal the law during the last days of this legislation session, black pastors are warning in a YouTube promoted by ICE-PAC. 

"We believe this is an attack on our families and our faith," said Dr. Eric Wallace on the public service announcement released over the weekend. "Please help us by calling your state representatives and telling them to oppose this." 

The vote is expected before the end of the session May 31st.

DuPage County Auditor's 2020 race to undergo recount per judge's orders

DuPage Co Auditor Bob Grogan's  2017 swearing in ceremony

DuPAGE County - Questions still surround the 2020 vote count for DuPage County auditor.

Due to the persistent investigation and discovery of Republican three-time incumbent Bob Grogan, who the DuPage Elections Commissioner declared as losing to Democrat Bill White by 75,  November 3, 2020 votes will be recounted countywide.

"I think this is a first in DuPage County: the court has ordered a full countywide recount for my race," Grogan wrote on his Facebook page May 15, 2021. "We found hundreds of ballots that contained no election judges’ initials, which invalidates them. Not addressed in this ruling, but we will certainly be looking into why there are +1600 more ballots than people who voted." 

 

The ballots not initialed by election judges could make Grogan the winner by seven votes, the judge said.

IR Editorial: Time for IL GOP Senator Dan McConchie to resign as Minority Leader

IR EDITORIAL - It's true. Illinois Review is firmly grounded in the viewpoint that businesses and industries are the heart and soul of a state's economy. The weaker the heart and soul of an entity, the less healthy and prosperous that state will be. A state's key source of energy and bounty is healthy businesses - not the state's tax-funded system itself. It's a basic conservative, free market principle. 

And one that 11 Illinois Republicans either do not believe or purposely ignored last Friday. And in our opinion here at Illinois Review, their votes to promote a constitutional amendment that would strangle any effort to allow businesses to operate without union bondage demand they be publicly challenged. 

Thus this editorial.

Weyermuller: Attending Chicago's 2021 Saint Jude Police March for Fallen Officers

By Mark Weyermuller -

Despite being officially cancelled, the Saint Jude March to honor Chicago Police Officers took place May 16, 2021 at the Gold Star Memorial next to Chicago's Soldier Field. This is the second year in a row that Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Police Superintendent David Brown cancelled the annual march due to Covid concerns.  

Stephen Moore: Democrats Follow the ‘Science’ and Reject Common Sense

Every time I hear Democrats sermonize about following “the science,” I feel as though I’m listening to members of the Flat Earth Society. Science is what the left wants to believe to be true. It has become a way to shut off debate, not advance it. Remember: These were the fools who told us to shut down our schools for a year.

We are seeing the debasement of common sense in full bloom now on the economic front. When the latest disappointing jobs report was released with unemployment rising, the Democrats refused to acknowledge that their high welfare benefits kept workers from coming back to work. President Joe Biden made the laughable observation that he saw “no measurable evidence” that the super generous unemployment program is a deterrent to working. He needs to get out more.

More HERE

GOP Demands Answers About COVID-19 Origins

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee are demanding President Joe Biden and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines provide more information on the origins of COVID-19.

In letters to the two officials, the lawmakers say the pair has not been “forthcoming” about “what processes it undertook to make seemingly authoritative statements early in the pandemic about the origins of the virus — conclusions that are now in question.”

“This casts doubt on the validity of early judgments as well as the analytic integrity of COVID-19-related intelligence reporting,” the lawmakers say in the letter to Haines.

“Republican Members are aware of allegations that the IC suppressed dissenting views related to the origins of the pandemic and that the community relied upon ‘outside’ experts with concerning yet undisclosed entanglements,” states the letter, which is accompanied by a signature from the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA).

‘Slap In The Face’: Chicago Cops Vote ‘No-Confidence’ In Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Police Chief David Brown

Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images

Chicago’s rank-and-file police officers issued a vote of “no-confidence” against Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her chosen head of the city’s police force, David Brown.

The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the city’s largest police union, voted Wednesday against Lightfoot, Brown, and Brown’s first deputy, Eric Carter. The FOP said the vote was unanimous among the 150-200 officers who showed up to the meeting, according to the Chicago Tribune.

More HERE

Things Turn Ugly On House Floor

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Three Republican lawmakers will be fined $500 each for entering the House floor without masks, despite the latest guidance from the CDC that vaccinated Americans can shed their masks both outdoors and in.

“A Capitol official said that Republican Reps. Brian Mast (Fla.), Beth Van Duyne (Texas) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa) will be fined $500 after ignoring previous warnings,” The Hill reported.

“Seven other Republicans will be issued formal warnings and would face $500 fines if they refuse to wear masks on the House floor again: Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Chip Roy (Texas), Bob Good (Va.), Mary Miller (Ill.), and Louie Gohmert (Texas).”

Mast, who has been fully vaccinated, blasted the move. “The truth is, from this moment on, Americans must ignore lies and start to listen to scientists. The scientists at the CDC are telling us if you are fully vaccinated, you can go about your life without wearing a mask or physically distancing. So, that’s what I’m doing. The question people should be asking is why is Speaker Pelosi not? For her, this has never been about science, it’s always been about power and control over the American people,” he said in a statement.

11 GOP state Senators join Dem super-majority to ban right to work in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - Private and public sector unions will rule the state of Illinois with a constitutional amendment that passed the Illinois Senate Friday afternoon. Eleven (11) Republican senators and all voting Democrats supported the measure that would ban any "right to work" effort in Illinois. 

Three Republican senators were in such strong support of banning right to work in Illinois, they co-sponsored the measure: 

Thorner: Global Warming threat attempts to remake society

By Nancy Thorner -

In a YouTube presentation on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, The Heartland Institute presented its second in a series to promote its big climate conference (ICCC-14) from October 15-17, 2021 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. "The Green Reset, Climate Realism Versus Climate Socialism" is the timely theme of the 14th International Climate Change Conference.

Marc Morano, as Heartland's 2nd featured presenter, spoke about his new book, Green Fraud, Why the Green New Deal is even worse than you think.

Sterling Burnett, Heartland Institute's senior fellow and managing editor of Environment Climate News, introduced Mr. Morano as a longtime Heartland Institute friend, ally, and publisher of the award-winning Climate Depo , a global warming and eco-news center founded in 2009 as part of a Committee for a Climate Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. Thorner was surprised to learn that Mr. Morano served for three years as senior advisor, speech writer, and climate researcher for U.S. Senator James Inhofe, Republican from Oklahoma.

Are Americans' religious freedoms at stake?

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -  Christian social conservatives answering a recent D. James Kennedy Ministries (DJKM) survey reported pervasive ill-treatment for their Christian faith.

An astonishing 96% of those who answered DJKM's 2021 Spiritual & Constitutional State of the Nation Survey said they have "experienced verbal or physical abuse or bias" due to their "faith in Jesus Christ or . . . conservative Christian views." That is three times more than in 2020, when 31% said they have been mistreated for their Christian faith.

"There is a rising tide of secular hostility against followers of Jesus Christ and this informal survey is yet more evidence," said Dr. Frank Wright, President and CEO of D. James Kennedy Ministries. "The dramatic uptick since 2020 suggests accelerating bigotry and malice toward followers of Jesus Christ."

Champaign police officer killed Wednesday responding to domestic disturbance

 

Chief of Police Anthony Cobb Issues Statement on Fallen Officer:

 

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart I announce Champaign Police Officer Chris Oberheim, 44, badge number 703, passed away due to injuries sustained while on-duty. Officer Oberheim was struck by gunfire while responding to a domestic disturbance. His only intention was to serve, protect and help provide care before he was senselessly fired upon and killed.

 

Officer Oberheim joined the Champaign Police Department in September 2008 after beginning his career with the Decatur Police Department. A true professional and devoted public servant, Officer Oberheim is remembered for his heroism, bravery, and the oath of office he honorably upheld in his commitment to duty.

Illinois state rep calls for state and federal government to support Israel

Pakistan Christian News graphic

SPRINGFIELD - State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) spoke on the Illinois House floor Wednesday about the need for the US and the state of Illinois to rise up in support of Israel as they are "under fire from Hamas, the progressive left and the media," he said. 

“I absolutely condemn the actions of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization,” Miller said. “America has stood side by side with Israel in support of freedom and liberty. We must stand with our allies during this crisis. We cannot let extremism win. The Nation of Israel is committed to peace. The majority of Palestinians are committed to peace. Hamas is committed to violence and extremism and they must be condemned.”

Hamas has launched about 2,800 rockets on Israel – all aimed at civilian targets. Israel’s Iron Dome has saved the lives of countless civilians.

Di Leo: Mr. Biden Goes for a Test Drive

By John F. Di Leo - 

On May 18, 2021, Joe Biden took a day-trip.

Sad to say, this in itself is rather remarkable, since hundreds of thousands of his fellow Americans, of similar age, have been forbidden the luxury of day-trips for over a year, as lockdowns have trapped senior citizens in their nursing homes and senior communities of all kinds for the past 14 months.  

 

But Mr. Biden’s circumstances are special, so he was able to get out, and even to visit a state with one of the toughest lockdowns - and the least constitutional restrictions - in the country: the automotive manufacturing center known as the state of Michigan.

ICJL whitepaper examines Supreme Court remap requirements, challenges

Illinois Supreme Court in Springfield - Illinois Review photo

ELMHURST, IL - In response to recent speculation that the Illinois legislature is considering redrawing the Illinois Supreme Court map for the first time in over 50 years, the Illinois Civil Justice League has issued a whitepaper to educate the legislators, decision makers and the general public on the requirements and challenges of this process.

Issues examined in the whitepaper include constitutional, institutional, demographic and political considerations. The current Supreme Court consists of seven justices, three from Cook County as required by law and four from districts outside of Cook County. Democrats hold a 4-3 majority on the court.

“The 1970 Illinois Constitution provides guidelines for consideration of judicial political boundaries that divide the state into five judicial districts: Cook County and four judicial districts of ‘substantially equal population, each of which shall be compact and composed of contiguous counties’ that hold the potential to drastically remake the Illinois Supreme Court,” according to John Pastuovic, president of the Illinois Civil Justice League.

Congressman Casten: The GOP doesn't care about the Jan 6th Capitol attack

WASHINGTON - From Illinois' 6th CD Sean Casten - who represents to the US House what once was a very red DuPage County:

 

The @GOP doesn't care that the US Capitol was attacked on January 6th.

If you love and cherish our democracy, that should scare the living daylights out of you.

https://t.co/mR0C2LfUci

— Sean Casten (@SeanCasten) May 19, 2021

The Wokest Place on Earth

Disney mounts an internal campaign against “white privilege” and organizes racially segregated “affinity groups.” Christopher Rufo write:

The Walt Disney Corporation famously bills its amusement parks as “the happiest place on Earth,” but inside the company’s headquarters in Burbank, California, a conflict is brewing. In the past year, Disney executives have elevated the ideology of critical race theory into a new corporate dogma, bombarded employees with trainings on “systemic racism,” “white privilege,” “white fragility,” and “white saviors,” and launched racially segregated “affinity groups” at the company’s headquarters.

I have obtained a trove of whistleblower documents related to Disney’s “diversity and inclusion” program, called “Reimagine Tomorrow,” which paints a disturbing picture of the company’s embrace of racial politics. Multiple Disney employees, who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisals, told me that the Reimagine Tomorrow program, though perhaps noble in intent, has become deeply politicized and engulfed parts of the company in racial conflict.

Rossi: Why Does the Left Hate Israel Because It Defends Itself Against Terrorists?

By Randy Rossi - 

Just when you think that the left can’t get any crazier, they do and a perfect example is their relentless attacks on Israel as it defends itself against over 3,000 terrorist rocket attacks by Hamas. What do you think America would do if any country launched 3,000 rockets into America to intentionally kill innocent civilians? Well when terrorists attacked America on 9/11, we launched a multi-year war to destroy the terrorists that launched that attack. But when Israel protects itself, the left accuses it of murder. I take this seriously because on my last trip to Israel, I was there when 474 rockets were launched into Israel from Gaza for no reason. Let me assure you, that gets your attention!

Purging Whiteness to Purge Capitalism

Critical Theory, and now Critical Race Theory, are fully-loaded howitzers aimed at all the pillars of the system. Mike Gonzalez and Jonathan Butcher write:

Race is suddenly all the rage. Employees, students, and parents are being inundated with “anti-racism” training programs and school curricula that insist America was built on white supremacy. Anyone who raises even the slightest objection is often deemed irredeemably racist.

But what if the impetus behind a particular type of race-based training programs and curricula we see spreading at the moment is not exclusively, or even primarily, about skin color? What if race is just a façade for a particular strain of thought? What if what stands behind all this is the old, color-blind utopian dream of uniting the “workers of the world,” and eradicating capitalism?

Pritzker: No matter what, abortion will remain legal in Illinois

In response to the news the US Supreme Court is taking up an abortion case, Governor Pritzker assured abortion promoters no matter what the Court decides, abortion will remain legal in Illinois.

"I was proud to sign landmark legislation here in Illinois to enshrine reproductive rights into law," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Supreme Court rules warrantless home gun confiscation is unconstitutional in 9-0 vote

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that warrantless gun confiscation from Americans’ homes is unconstitutional, voting unanimously on the side of a Rhode Island man whose firearms were taken by law enforcement without a warrant after his wife expressed concerns that he might hurt himself.

According to Caniglia v Strom, a lower court had previously determined that police confiscating the guns without a warrant fell under the Fourth Amendment’s “community caretaking” exception, but a 9-0 vote from the nation’s top court struck down that ruling.

More HERE at American Military News 

Tribune: Child tax credit: Most US parents will get monthly checks of $250 or $300 per child, starting in July

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department said Monday that 39 million families are set to receive monthly child payments beginning on July 15.

The payments are part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which expanded the child tax credit for one year and made it possible to pre-pay the benefits on a monthly basis. Nearly 88% of children are set to receive the benefits without their parents needing to take any additional action.

Families will get $300 per month for children up through age 6 and $250 per month for those above 6 through age 17. 

The president wants the benefits to continue until 2025 as part of his $1.7 trillion family plan. 

More in the Chicago Tribune HERE 

The Center Square: Pritzker says he’s ‘unwinding’ mask mandates in ‘appropriate fashion’

(The Center Square) – After some social media posts this weekend about plans to update the state’s guidance on face coverings, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday said updates are on the way.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance that fully vaccinated people can do most things without a mask.

Op-ed: Guess what? Not all work is worth $15 per hour

By Jeff Pope - 

Politicians, including Governor Pritzker, love to be in the news posturing for their support of a $15 minimum wage. While trying to appear full of compassion and being defenders of a living wage for the lowest paid workers, what they really are doing is denying opportunities to some of the very people who need the work the most.

At its heart, a significantly increased minimum wage is based on the assertion that every job supports no less than $15.00 per hour. That is a naïve fantasy. The value of any job, and thus the wage rate it pays, is related to the value of the work being done. Period. Not all work is equal in value.

Beckman: Be Like General Lucius D. Clay

By Hank Beckman - 

As the Democrats try to expand their control over every aspect of political and social life in this country, conservatives need to be like General Lucius D. Clay.

Forget about trying to revisit the Reagan administration’s successes, or trying to find the equivalent of a McCain/Romney/Bush type Republican, politicians who babble incessantly about country over party, bipartisanship, and civil discourse with people prone to calling them Nazis.

Reagan governed in a different era with different concerns, and Romney and McCain types would sell out their grandmothers if they thought they could get some good press out of it. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are on an extended suck-up-to-liberals-tour as I write this.

Thorner: Concern about Biden's health and leadership grows among military officers

 

By Nancy Thorner - 

 

There have been strong objections to the "litany of left-wing pursuits” showcased in the first 100 days of the Biden/Harris administration, such as what it means to run a far-left presidency. By and large, the news has not been reported by the mainstream media.

 

The following, however, was reported by Jack Phillips in his May 12th article in the Epoch Times, “120 Retired Generals, Military Officers Sign Letter Warning of Conflict Between Marxism and ‘Constitutional Freedom’"  See full 5 page letter here.

Employers Face Liability by Requiring COVID Shots, Liberty Counsel says

DC - Liberty Counsel, a legal group based in Orlando Florida, says a new guidance from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that employers could be held liable if they mandate employees to take COVID-19 injections as a condition of employment and then they experience adverse reactions. 

Under a “Frequently Asked Questions” section of OSHA’s website it states: “If you require your employees to be vaccinated as a condition of employment (i.e., for work-related reasons), then any adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine is work-related. The adverse reaction is recordable if it is a new case under 29 CFR 1904.6 and meets one or more of the general recording criteria in 29 CFR 1904.7.” 

Recording requirements of serious work-related injuries and illness may leave employers with workers' compensation claims and impact their safety records. 

To avoid potential liability, employers should not require employees to receive any COVID shot. 

Some employers are now offering financial incentives, opportunities to win prizes, or paid time off to receive the COVID shots. Employees who chose not to receive the “voluntary” injection and therefore miss an opportunity to receive a prize could argue they suffered “repercussions” for their choice. In addition, the “professional advancement” of an unvaccinated employee who is not permitted to work at a particular job site may be affected. However, OSHA’s new guidance does not address these specific situations.

None of the COVID shots are approved or licensed by the FDA, Liberty Counsel's statement says. They come under the Emergency Use Authorization, which means they cannot be forced or required.

Congresswoman Mary Miller comments on current gas crisis

WASHINGTON - Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL-15) issued the following statement on the current gas crisis:

"The hack of the Colonial Pipeline is certainly creating a crisis in various parts of the country, but the real story here is the lack of foresight and vision when it comes to our national energy policy.

Biden’s lack of response to the Colonial Pipeline hacking is showing weakness and inviting future attacks.

Far-left extremists continue to oppose every effort to make our country truly energy-independent. They oppose any investment in oil and gas and the end result is a catastrophe when something happens to disrupt our supply of energy.

Beckman: If hate crimes deserve tougher sentence, shouldn't lying about them be the same?

Chicago media jumped on the Smollett story 

By Hank Beckman -

If people found guilty of crimes motivated by bias—hate crimes—deserve a harsher penalty than those same crimes where no evidence of bias exists, how should we deal with the miscreants among us who lie about hate crimes?

Hate crime laws vary by state, but the rationale behind enhanced penalties for crimes resulting from racial bias, religious bigotry, or malice toward other protected groups is succinctly explained by the Department of Justice on its web site.

“Hate crimes have a broader effect than most other kinds of crimes,” reads the relevant section. “Hate crime victims include not only the crime’s immediate target, but also others like them.”

Sounds reasonable.

Anatomy of a Crime Wave

Baltimore’s experiment with de-policing has been disastrous—and deadly. Stephen J. K. Walters writes:

A decade ago, Baltimoreans became lab rats in a fateful experiment: their elected officials decided to treat the city’s long-running crime problem with many fewer cops. In effect, Baltimore began to defund its police and engage in de-policing long before those terms gained popular currency.

This experiment has been an abject failure. Since 2011, nearly 3,000 Baltimoreans have been murdered—one of every 200 city residents over that period. The annual homicide rate has climbed from 31 per 100,000 residents to 56—ten times the national rate. And 93 percent of the homicide victims of known race over this period were black.

Myth vs. Fact: Don’t Be Fooled by Misinformation on Florida’s Election Reforms

Florida is the latest state to adopt voter integrity reform. Here are the facts. Jessica Anderson writes:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an election integrity bill into law Thursday morning to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. Unfortunately, the mainstream media is helping to circulate misinformation about the law, known as SB 90. Here is what you need to separate myth from fact.

Myth: Florida is trying to suppress mail-in voting.

Fact: Florida’s reforms simply make the process more uniform by strengthening ID requirements for absentee voting that already apply to in-person voting.

• These reforms would enhance voter ID requirements for mail-in ballot requests.
• Two-thirds (66%) of voters agree that applying voter ID requirements to absentee ballots, as SB 90 does, is a good way to safeguard ballot integrity.
• Research shows that voter ID doesn’t actually negatively impact turnout, despite Democrats’ false claims of voter suppression.

Napolitano: Unconstitutional Debt and Future Generations

Judge Andrew Napolitano - 

President Joseph R. Biden Jr. asked Congress to raise taxes and increase borrowing so his administration can spend $2.3 trillion — on top of the $1.9 trillion Congress authorized two months ago for so-called COVID relief — for thousands of projects he calls “infrastructure.” All this is in addition to the $2 trillion that the government borrows annually these days just to make ends meet.

These are serious numbers of dollars, the repayment of which will have seriously unpleasant consequences for future generations of Americans. Indeed, under Biden’s administration, the feds will borrow three times what they collect in taxes. This is not a new phenomenon, but it exacerbates the modern trend of spend now and pay later.

Under the Constitution, can the feds borrow as much as they want and can they spend it on anything they want? Here is the backstory.

More HERE

Your opinion matters: Who should challenge JB Pritzker in 2022?

BLOOMINGTON - The IL GOP faces yet another interesting political dilemma in 2022 - a year many politicos say could be a banner year for Republicans in reaction to the Biden-Harris Administration's unyielding push towards Leftist, Socialist - some say Communist - public policies. 

A viable Republican candidate could solidify the Illinois conservative base and push towards a competitive effort to oust Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in 2022. 

But there's a problem. The IL GOP is split - and the numbers for Republicans in Illinois set it into super minority status in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. The IL GOP leadership is definitely pulling towards the Liz Cheney side of the GOP while the conservative base is solidly looking towards Donald Trump-esque leadership. 

This past week, the Bloomington Pantagraph reports, IL GOP "leadership" - as the Pantagraph suggests - met to discuss the future of the IL GOP. Those declaring its future?  The likes of former Governor Jim Edgar, former IL GOP Chairman Pat Brady, longtime State Rep Dan Brady and state Senator Jason Barickman.

The group swiped at the downstate movement to oust Chicago, and once again pushed for a "moderate" tone for Illinois Republicans.

Stossel: Successful Without College

By John Stossel -

Americans took out $1.7 trillion in government loans for college tuition. Now, some don’t want to pay it back.

President Joe Biden says they shouldn’t have to. He wants to cancel at least $10,000 and maybe $50,000 of every student’s debt.

“They’re in real trouble,” says Biden, “having to make choices between paying their student loan and paying the rent.”

Poor students!

But wait: Shouldn’t they have given some thought to debt payments when they signed up for overpriced colleges? When they majored in subjects like photography or women’s studies, unlikely to lead to good jobs? When they took six years to graduate (a third don’t graduate even after six years).

More HERE

Facebook Trump Ban Endangers All of Us

Conservative groups condemned Facebook Oversight Board’s decision Wednesday to continue to block former President Donald Trump’s Facebook page and Instagram account as “un-American” and an “obscene” abuse of power, pointing out that if it treated liberals like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) the same way, people would be outraged.

As CNSNews.com reported, the Oversight Board said “it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension" of the former president’s account.

The board called on Facebook to review its decision “to determine and justify a proportionate response that is consistent with the rules that are applied to other users of its platform.” The review must take place “within six months of the date of this decision.”

More HERE

Get vaccinated; get ready for Six Flags' thrilling roller coaster ride

GURNEE — Following this week's expansion of COVID vaccine eligibility to 12- to 15-year-olds, Governor JB Pritzker announced that Six Flags Great America – the Thrill Capital of the Midwest – will offer 50,000 free tickets to their parks in Gurnee and Rockford to newly vaccinated Illinois residents.

The value of the donated tickets is $4 million.

Banks and Biden Team Up for the Green New Deal

President Joe Biden, like many on the left, sells himself as a champion of the working class. But, time after time, Biden has proven that in order to promote his ideology, he will eagerly empower many of the same billionaires and massive financial institutions he claims to hate, often at the expense of hardworking American families.

A recent regulatory move governing financial institutions provides the latest, and perhaps best, example.

In January 2021, just weeks before President Trump left the White House, the Trump administration’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a new regulation – titled Fair Access to Financial Services – that would have made it illegal for large banks to discriminate against politically disfavored industries, such as fracking.

More HERE

How global leaders used COVID-19 to restrict religious liberty

COVID-19 has posed unique challenges to religious liberty across the United States, spurring politicians to impose public health measures that restricted in-person worship services. Globally, the situation has often been much worse, with many governments using the pandemic as an excuse for targeted persecution through a mix of misinformation and coercive action.

In the latest annual International Religious Freedom Report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) details these developments, along with other evolving threats to religious liberty around the world.

“In many cases these [public health] measures complied with international human rights standards protecting freedom of religion or belief, but in some cases they did not,” the report concludes. “USCIRF’s monitoring revealed that in some countries, already marginalized religious minorities faced official and/or societal stigmatization, harassment, and discrimination for allegedly causing or spreading the virus.”

From violating burial rites to blame-shifting toward religious minorities to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, the pandemic has served as a precursor to all sorts of anti-religious mischief.

More HERE

The 'Great Reset' is about to become the law in Europe — and America could be next

The European Parliament voted in favor to apply environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards on businesses. Companies are being judged on leftist values, not business metrics. Is America next?

More HERE

Di Leo: Liz Cheney and The Big Lie

By John F Di Leo - 

Liz Cheney was raised as the daughter of a White House Chief of Staff, Congressman, Cabinet officer and Vice President. She has known the ways of Washington all her life.

As a Congressman, she has a decent voting record, and represents a terrific district of American patriots in the United States House of Representatives.

But she is a liar, and for that, she has no business in the Republican leadership.

Moore: Why Did Biden Census Bureau Add 2.5 Million More Residents to Blue-State Population Count?

By Stephen Moore - 

There is something very fishy about the new 2020 Census Bureau data determining which states picked up seats and which states lost seats.

Most all of the revisions to the original estimates have moved in one direction: Population gains were added to blue states, and population losses were subtracted from red states. The December revisions in population estimates under the Biden Census Bureau added some 2.5 million blue-state residents and subtracted more than 500,000 red-state residents. These population estimates determine how many electoral votes each state receives for presidential elections and the number of congressional seats in each state.

Is this a mere coincidence?

More HERE

Beckman: Fake Hate Crimes Penalties

By Hank Beckman - 

If people found guilty of crimes motivated by bias—hate crimes—deserve a harsher penalty than those same crimes where no evidence of bias exists, how should we deal with the miscreants among us who lie about hate crimes?

Hate crime laws vary by state, but the rationale behind enhanced penalties for crimes resulting from racial bias, religious bigotry, or malice toward other protected groups is succinctly explained by the Department of Justice on its web site.

“Hate crimes have a broader effect than most other kinds of crimes,” reads the relevant section. “Hate crime victims include not only the crime’s immediate target, but also others like them.”

Sounds reasonable.

Court Packing Threat Is Only the Latest Attempt to Undermine the Judiciary

The truth is that the Left knows our system of justice is an unparalleled masterpiece. But they don’t care. Pete Hutchison and Michael O'Neill write:

The American justice system is the envy of free people around the world. So why is the Progressive Left so hell-bent to undermine it? From the U. S. Supreme Court all the way down to local trial courts, leftist politicians, including the president and vice president of the United States and various members of the United States Congress, are constantly threatening and intimidating the Courts. What is going on?

The answer is simple: power.